One of the most basic and important lines of defense against malware and other computer security risks is your firewall, which, among other tasks, blocks certain software on your computer from gaining access to the Internet. This can keep malware from getting online, and it can prevent programs with sensitive information from accessing the Internet at any time, which helps keep its data safe. If you want to deny a program access to the Internet, you can configure Windows Firewall for this in just a few moments.

1.

Click the Windows "Start" button.

2.

Type "Windows Firewall" into the Search field. Select "Windows Firewall" from the results that are returned. Do not click the "Windows Firewall with Advanced Security" option.

3.

Click the link that says "Allow a program or feature through Windows Firewall."

4.

Click the "Change settings" button. Your computer may prompt you to type in an administrator password, in which case you or someone else with administrator access must provide the password. This is the password for logging into an administrator's account on that computer.

5.

Click the check box to remove the check beside the program you want to deny Internet access to. This is the box to the left of the program. The list of programs may be extensive, so you may need to scroll down. If you can't find the program in the list anywhere, you must add it manually and then ensure there is no check mark beside the program. You add the program by clicking the "Allow another program" button and navigating to the executable file for the program. This may be difficult for beginning or intermediate users, but typically you can find the program on your "C" drive in either the "Program Files" or "Program Files (x86)" folders. Within one of those folders, the program executable file should be inside another folder with the program name or the name of the company that created the program. If you can't find it, you can search your "C" drive for the name of the program. The program file will have a ".exe" extension on it. Select the file and click "Open."

6.

Click the "OK" button.

Things Needed

Windows administrator access

Tip

In some cases you may prefer to allow certain programs to connect to the Internet only over networks you have classified as "Home" or "Work," rather than "Public." (You do this in a window that appears when you first connect to a new network.) In that case, the program will be unable to get online when you're using a "Public" network, which can be a good security feature for programs that may have access to your personal or financial information. To do this, you should access the list of allowed or blocked programs in Windows Firewall and place a check in the box to the left of the program. Then you can remove the check in the box to the right under the "Public" category, leaving the check in the "Home/Work" category.

References (2)

About the Author

A lover of technology in all forms, Matt Skaggs began writing professionally in 2010, specializing in Windows computers and Android devices. His writing has appeared on many websites providing a plethora of technology information and tutorials. In 2008 Skaggs graduated from Bob Jones University with a Bachelor of Arts in humanities.

Photo Credits

Comstock Images/Comstock/Getty Images

bibliography-iconicon for annotation tool Cite this Article

Choose Citation Style

Skaggs, Matt. "How to Prevent an Application From Accessing the Internet." Small Business - Chron.com, http://smallbusiness.chron.com/prevent-application-accessing-internet-42231.html. Accessed 14 September 2019.

Skaggs, Matt. (n.d.). How to Prevent an Application From Accessing the Internet. Small Business - Chron.com. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/prevent-application-accessing-internet-42231.html

Skaggs, Matt. "How to Prevent an Application From Accessing the Internet" accessed September 14, 2019. http://smallbusiness.chron.com/prevent-application-accessing-internet-42231.html

Note: Depending on which text editor you're pasting into, you might have to add the italics to the site name.